It is well known that safety flashers are effective warning devices at night and so have been adapted for aircraft, emergency vehicles, and highway and construction barricades to mention a few uses. When mounted on a bicycle or on one's person, they offer considerable added protection to the user against being hit by an automobile as they are much more apt to get the driver's attention than are ordinary continuous lights or simple reflectors.
Flashers of the barricade type are now available with adapters for bicycle mounting, and while these are very worthwhile devices from a visibility standpoint, they are heavy, large and cumbersome as well. They are also unsuited for hiking or walking use. Their size and weight makes them less popular with serious cyclists than they might otherwise be since such cyclists prefer very light weight and portable equipment. Barricade flashers are also fairly expensive which tends to reduce their salability and therefore their use is also limited.
A good lightweight flasher should find ready acceptance among cyclists and other non-motorists using streets and roads at night provided such devices are very inexpensive. As a consequence, night accidents involving cyclists and others should be substantially reduced.